Heirs and Usurpers
by Muziki
Summary: Simba is surprised when Nala tells him that she is having another cub! Another territory beyond the boundaries of the Pridelands is left without a king. Old friends will link these two kingdoms together. My first Lion King fanfic! Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1: Pride of the Crater Lands

**Heirs and Usurpers **

**Written by**

Muziki

Chapter One:

The Pride of the Crater Lands

"GET BACK!" Haki roared, with a vicious snarl. Muziki, ears flattened against her skull, lowered her head and backed off the fallen zebra, slowly. She knew better than to get in the way of a very hungry king and a fresh kill, even if she was the one who had brought it down. She ran over to the other lionesses.

_Long live the King._

Muziki and the rest of the pride looked on as Haki tore into the abdomen, where all the choice parts were. His face and paws were already crimson within a few seconds.

The three cubs of the pride could simply not stand still, despite their mother's growls of warning. The heady scent of meat and blood wafted over to them on a light breeze. The smallest of the trio, tail up and ears turned toward the gluttonous lion, began to approach him warily.

"Bado! No!" Amira, the female of the three, hissed. "Don't be stupid!"

But it was too late. The crater lands echoed with Haki's roar, and Bado was met with a swift swipe to the face. The cacophony of birds and insects came to a disquieting halt.

Stunned, the little cub fell on his side. His mother ran to him and hastily grabbed him by his neck scruff. Her eyes locked with the king's in defense of her cub, who was also _his _cub. Haki's pupils dilated in anger. He let out a last warning growl before he continued eating.

"I hope you learned by his mistake, Hadar," said Aheizer, King Haki's majordomo. He jumped onto the cub's shoulder, wrapping his bushy tail around his neck and pointing his muzzle to his ear. "As future king, you must use your wits, and not act in such haste. Your brother has a lot to learn..."

The young cub did not hear the small yellow mongoose mutter under his breath, "…if he survives!"

Hadar ran over to his half-brother, who sat dazed between his mother's front paws. With an "oof!" Aheizer jumped from the cub's shoulder to Muziki's. Hadar knelt in front of the prone cub. "Bado! Bado, are you alright?!"

"He'll be fine, my prince," Bado's mother, Azima, said. "This should be a good lesson for him, what with disturbing your father like that. In fact," her tone took on a low growl as she turned her gaze down towards her son, "it actually saves me the trouble of having to cuff him myself!"

Little Bado only answered with a weak groan as he slipped back into unconsciousness. Hadar's eyes widened as he started at him. Azima chuckled. "No, really, he'll be alright. He's more frightened than hurt. A mother can tell these things."

Hadar wouldn't know. His mother, Queen Fahari, was a mere shadow of his past. She had died when he was so young. Hadar had just learned to eat scraps of meat the first night she had left his side to resume her hunting duties…to never return. He considered every lioness of the pride to be his mother now.

"Go on and play with Amira." Azima's voice carried Hadar out of his thoughts, "Muziki's been keeping her company between hunts, but she is becoming too old for such things. Come now, my prince. Don't trouble yourself with a lioness' work. What would Haki have to say? I'll stay here with my son until he wakes up."

Hadar looked up at Azima's smiling face before obediently making his way over to Amira, Azima's younger daughter and his half-sister. Amira's attention was no longer on Bado. Hadar saw her looking intently at something on a tree branch, which hung several feet above her head. The young prince ran to her side and sat down, following her gaze. He noted something blue moving slowly behind the gaps the leaves left. "What is it?" He asked.

"Shhh! You'll let him know we see him!" But it was too late. At Amira's sharp "shhh!" a small, pointed beak emerged from the foliage. Almost an instant later the rest of its body followed. Hadar and Amira watched as a pretty little blue bird shot from the branches and flew off with rapid speed. In half a second they were left staring at a swaying branch and falling leaves. One landed right on Hadar's nose. Amira giggled.

"That isn't funny, " Hadar said, wiping it off with a paw.

"Well that's what you get for scaring my bird away!" Amira said between giggles.

"Why is it _your_bird, anyway?" Hadar growled. "I've never even seen it around here before!"

"Simple, silly," the young lioness had finally stopped laughing. "It was here!" She rolled her eyes as Hadar returned her statement with a quizzical gaze. "_Everything_ in the crater lands is mine!"

She ducked her head down a little as the prince narrowed his eyes at her. "Well…um…ours, I mean," she hastily corrected herself. "We are royal, after all."

"Now who's silly?" Hadar said, settling himself down on the yellow-green grass. "No animal is ours, even if we do run things."

"Oh yeah?" Amira replied. "Who said that?"

"Aheizer said."

"Well that's not what I heard father say!"

Hadar was about to reply when Muziki, with Aheizer still on her shoulder, stepped between them. She looked down at the two cubs.

"What's this? Arguing?" She asked. "Last time I checked, arguing was not a part of royal behavior! Isn't that right, Aheizer?"

"Surely, madam," the mongoose narrowed his beady eyes at the two. "A young prince and princess must not act like common runts! What on earth has gotten into you two, especially you, the future king?!"

Amira resumed her giggling as she saw Hadar hang his head.

"I hardly see the humor, princess!" Aheizer snapped, adding a hint of mockery to the last word. Amira immediately fell silent, staring wide-eyed at the king's right hand. Muziki met him with a short, low growl. He shut his mouth.

"They're still cubs, Aheizer. I'm sure they learned their lesson now. Chin up, Hadar!" She said cheerfully. "Since all Amira seems to be good at right now is giggling, why don't you tell us what started all this trouble?"

Hadar looked up into Muziki's large, green eyes. There was a slight glint in them as she smiled fondly at the heir to the throne. He immediately forgot being scolded by his teacher.

"Well, Amira was only mad because she thinks I scared the bird away," he turned his head towards the little cub, scowling, "even though I didn't!"

Amira took drew a swift breath and was about to defend herself before Muziki raised a paw, calling for silence.

"The fighting is over. Forget about whose fault it was. Go on, Hadar,"

The scowl left Hadar's face. It seemed to have transferred itself to the face of his half-sister, who sat in brooding silence. "It was blue, and really fast! We never saw anything like it before!"

Aheizer quickly whispered something into Muziki's ear. The lioness raised an eyebrow.

"It was blue, you said?"

"Yeah!" Hadar's eyes lit up. "So you've seen it before, too? I never saw such a color on an animal! Where did it…?"

"No, I've never seen it," Muziki cut him off, "but it might be important. Good work, my prince."

Aheizer sighed and said something to Muziki that the cubs could not make out. She creased her brow and nodded.

"Hey! I was the one who saw it first!" Amira whined, springing to her feet.

Aheizer fidgeted, scratching rapidly at his ear with a hind-paw. "Of course, princess. You are thanked as well, but don't you think it's time for us to be going, Muziki?"

"Anyway," the lioness said quickly, "I must tell the king now. He would like to know about it."

"But why would," Hadar began.

The yellow mongoose coughed and flicked Muziki's ear with his tail tip. She turned her back on them and swiftly bounded away, Aheizer clinging to her neck scruff and wrapping his tail tighter around her neck to keep from falling off. "I'll talk to you later, children!" She called back to them.

"Well that was stupid!" Amira grumbled.

Hadar watched his older half-sister and Aheizer depart. _Why would father want to know about the bird? _He thought to himself. _Sure, it was pretty, but father doesn't care for pretty things. _He yawned, his ears filled with cricket-song. It was about time to sleep. He blinked at he saw one scamper across his paw and disappear into the tall grass._ Father will just get mad again. He doesn't like being bothered with stuff like that. It's too small and quick to eat, and it certainly isn't dangerous!_


	2. Chapter 2: The Messengers

A leg bone flew threw the air, narrowly missing Aheizer's head. It hit the side of King Haki's cave with a loud crack, breaking in two.

"Father – my liege – please!" Muziki cried. She had been sitting next to Haki on the petrified stump of a giant, long dead tree. Sunlight filtered through a small crack in the ceiling above them, causing the throne's light brown surface to glint ever so slightly. The royal chamber was attached to the side of a cliff, which bordered the large stretch of crater grounds that the pride called home.

"You saw the blue bird, and you didn't go after it? Why didn't you send Twaa?!" Haki roared.

"Your majesty," the mongoose bowed his head, his voice steady, "Twaa has not yet returned from his patrol of the Outlands. In fact, he has been gone for much longer than expected."

The king jumped from the throne and was inches from Aheizer, breathing heavily. His back hairs bristled as he snarled down at his majordomo. The mongoose kept his eyes on the stone ground.

Haki tried to recall how long it has been since he had received any reports from the old secretary bird. "Great Kings! How long was it since I sent him?"

"Almost seven sunrises, your highness."

"Well, blast it then!" The giant lion loomed over Aheizer. "I don't care if the spying bastard got swept up in a maelstrom! My subjects must be loath to please their lord! Look at me, Aheizer!"

The mongoose met Haki's gaze. The king's yellow eyes glinted with rage. His subject's stared straight at him, conveying nothing but calm. Haki bit his lip. Would nothing bother the snake-eating runt?

"I want answers. I want to know why you and my daughter are sitting here when you should both be doing your duty, and finding a way to destroy that…bird! Tell me why you have done nothing!"

"Well, frankly lord…" the majordomo paused.

"Yes?"

"…it is because neither your trusted servant nor your loyal daughter can fly."

The cave echoed with the infuriated king's roar. Muziki shuddered. Aheizer shook his head, his ears ringing.

"My lord," Muziki said, her voice shaking, "we came straight here after the prince described the bird. It was all we could do. We came here for your orders!"

"Daughter, don't raise your voice at me!" Haki said. "And don't explain this to me! I know exactly what is going on! I have nine lionesses, several birds of prey, and the most skilled of assassins at my disposal, yet the words of that doddering old baboon are coming true right before my eyes! I sanctioned that, along any rogue lions, all things mentioned in the prophecy, including the blasted blue birds, should be killed on site, without questions! Why," Haki's claws extended, scraping long lines in the ground, "does one of those pathetic creatures still live?"

Neither the majordomo nor the princess said a word.

"Never mind!" Haki snapped. "Muziki, you go speak to the lionesses and find out if any of them has seen Twaa. Aheizer," he narrowed his eyes at the mongoose.

"Yes, lord?" Aheizer asked. The king's chest rose and fell with heavy breaths.

"Aheizer," the lion drew a breath, "bring me Rafiki!"


	3. Chapter 3: Enter the Adversaries

The sun had reached its zenith, and beat down hard onto the golden, rocky grounds of the Crater Lands. Farther into the center of the immense crater, patches of green could be seen. Spots of glistening blue indicated the numerous watering holes of predator and prey alike. Rafiki, the ancient baboon prophet, and advisor of kings, stared back longingly at the lush lands, which now seemed very far away. He did not like venturing to the Crater's edge, which was home to the royal family and their pride. The soil there would hardly cultivate any life, just as Haki's heart would hardly yield any kindness. The baboon sighed as he limped down the lion-made path to the king's chamber. Aheizer, the lithe yellow mongoose, lead the way, strutting a few feet before him, tail held high. Rafiki sighed. He liked the majordomo well enough, but he wished that, for once, he could turn his back on custom and refuse a king's council, especially King Haki's council. He closed his eyes, silently asking the Great Spirits for forgiveness for thinking such things. He continued to follow, limping along as the gourds tied to the top of his walking stick clacked together with each step.

They had finally reached the entrance to King Haki's personal chamber. Aheizer ran ahead and disappeared into the tall crack that lead inside the cave. The baboon followed. As he made his way through the entrance, something hissed. He quickly patted a small pouch made out of elephant hide that he had strapped to his side. The mongoose turned his head, his eyes glinting red in the darkness. "What was that noise, teacher?" he asked.

"It is only the sound of the pouches of healing sand that I carry, young one," Rafiki replied. "One of the pouches ripped, and it spilled to the floor."

"I see," Aheizer said, quickly losing interest as he resumed running down the cold, stone hallway to the main chamber.

Rafiki chuckled silently to himself. There was no such thing as healing sand!

The smell of dead flesh hit Rafiki's nose like a blow to the face. He covered his nose with his free hand. Soon, he was faced with King Haki, who had his claws buried deep into the flesh of a dead hartebeest. Aheizer sat on the lion's shoulder, tail wrapped around his bulging neck. Rafiki tore his eyes away from the corpse of the great, horned herbivore, and immediately noticed a bald spot in Haki's mane, located at his adam's apple. The old baboon drew in sharp breath as he noticed a small gash, which looked fresh despite already showing early signs of infection. Rafiki immediately leaned his stick against the stone wall, and grabbed his pouch of healing herbs. He shook a green powder into his hand, spat in it, and rigorously rubbed the combination into the gash and into the raw, red flesh surrounding it. Haki roared in pain, raising his paw angrily, but refraining from striking the baboon. Aheizer watched the old one perform his healing duties with keen interest.

A few moments later, Rafiki stepped back from the king, and sat cross-legged before him. Haki winced in pain, raising his paw to the splotch of green covering his wound.

"Don't touch it!" Rafiki snapped.

The king grumbled and lowered his paw.

"Your majesty," the baboon said, "your servant told me that you were seeking council, not healing, though I gladly give you both."

Haki snorted in reply. "The signs still show up, fool! Just this morning, my children saw a blue bird, spying on my kingdom! My _servant _and my lionesses did nothing. My bird has not even returned! The signs still remain, just as my subjects remain useless!"

"And the signs will not go away!" Rafiki yelled, jumping to his feet. The king started. "They will endure until you meet the fate that the Great Spirits made for you! My council will not change that!"

"Then what can your council do, you useless old monkey?!" Haki roared.

"Perhaps my intervention can give you a lighter sentence for your crimes!"

Haki growled. Rafiki clutched the elephant skin pouch. "Do not touch the friend of the Great Kings! Your actions paved the way for your fate. With every new move you make, there are rewards…and punishments! And," Rafiki thrust a finger at Haki's nose, "tell me, your highness, what actions of yours lead to that wound you have?"

"What of my wound?" Haki asked, sitting down, but still seething.

"Because events surrounding it could hold answers you seek about your future!" Rafiki said. "Now tell me. Old Rafiki knows!"

The king let out one last growl before recounting the tail…

The grasslands echoed with a guttural roar. The great orange sun was setting in the horizon, adorned with wispy clouds of purple and red. A couple gnarled trees and a large rock were silhouetted against the sky. The roar echoed again, this time answered by the roars of two other lions.

Haki strutted back and forth in front of three strange lions. Two were male, and one was an injured lioness – by what Haki hadn't a clue –who, shivering, leaned against the smaller of the males, the one with the messy, red mane. The unkempt one drew himself up as tall as he could as he snarled at Haki defensively. The other male, of a slightly darker color, muscular, and with a full, well-groomed mane, stood impassively. His deep blue eyes locked with Haki's, and the king could only detect a slight curl in the corner of his opponent's lip as an indicator of any emotion. Haki tried harder to intimidate the lion by drawing himself to his full height, raising his right paw and, claws extended, roaring into the blue-eyed one's face.

The lion blinked as spit splattered into his right eye. The lion standing beside him growled. The lioness that leaned against him slumped to the ground. All three of them never allowed their eyes to leave the king.

"It's not your land we want. Not now," said the largest of the three intruders, his eye's never drawing away from Haki's. "We only ask for safe passage, to quieter places. Ni's mate (he nodded to the lion at his side) has been attacked by a leopard, and needs to rest."

Haki chuckled as he sat down and drew lines in the dirt with his claws. The one called Ni's eyes widened. Mouth agape, he looked to his comrade, who only wrinkled his nose.

"Please," the lion continued. "We don't want your land, your game, or your women. We will not lay a claw on your sons…"

Without warning, Haki sprung upon the blue-eyed one, who was immediately knocked to the ground. The older lion automatically clamped his jaws tightly around his opponent's neck. The younger lion roared, trying to pull himself free of the king's grip.

"Tojo!" Ni cried as he leapt to his friend's aid. "Stay here!" he called back to the prone lioness. She had no choice but to go by his words, for she had already slipped into unconsciousness. Ni ran to where Haki had his hold on his companion, and raked his claws against the king's face.

Haki immediately let go and shook his head, splattering blood against the earth and his enemies as he did so. He roared as loud as he could, and glared at the two, breathing raggedly. "I don't care if you have a whole _pride _of lioness being attacked by hyenas!" He spat blood on the ground. "Intruders will always be met with force!"

"Listen to reason, you foolish old…" Ni began.

"Silence!" Haki roared. "Intruders, especially male rogues, will be put into conditions that will prevent their return to my kingdom! If your pretty little female survives her tussle with the leopard, she may be welcome into my little fold, however," The king laughed as he saw Tojo's eyes flare with rage, delighted that he had found a way to get to him. He curled his lip and chuckled. "How good is she at hunting…?"

"You bastard!" Ni leapt at Haki, who sidestepped his attack and went straight for Tojo's throat again. The smaller lion quickly recovered, and jumped onto the king's back, digging his hind-claws deep into his flanks. Haki roared in pain, trying to shake him off. His resistance only caused Ni to dig his claws even harder into his flesh. He reached his arm as far as he could, grunting with satisfaction he snagged Haki's neck with a claw and ripped back flesh. The king clenched his teeth as he saw bursts of white light dance before his eyes. He went limp, falling to the hard ground with a thud. Tojo quickly backed away, shaking his mane. Ni rolled off of Haki and onto his side.

The two looked down at Haki. A ring of red formed in the grass that cushioned his head.

"I think you tore his throat apart," Tojo said, looking at the fallen king disdainfully.

"How could that have happened?" Ni gasped. "I thought I had barely scratched him!"

Both lions continued to stare down at Haki as they breathed heavily. Ni rubbed his paw against a bump forming on his head. A trickle of blood came down from Tojo's mane. Ni was about to collapse to the ground when he remembered his injured companion.

"Great Spirits!" He cried. "What about Mara?!"  
Tojo swore as his friend ran over to the fallen lioness. He gently nudged her neck, tears forming in his eyes. "Mara? Are you all right? It's safe now."

The lioness didn't answer. Tojo was at Ni's side. The smaller one placed his paw on the lioness' shoulder, and shook her as lightly as he could. She didn't move. Ni's friend did not have the heart to point out the obvious; that Mara's back leg was completely red with blood that poured out from a deep gash in her belly, that her eyes were wide, unblinking, sightless, and directed at the barren spot of grass where Haki's body had once been. A small pool of blood, along with a trail of crimson droplets leading to the area of the large rock, were the only things that betrayed the presence of the lion that they had brought down, that they had thought they had killed…

Ni wept, tears dropping from his face and staining the fur of the dead lioness. Tojo blinked back tears of his own as he heard a familiar chirping sound. He raised his head, squinting against the rays of the setting run. After a moment, six small objects came into view. In another moment, a small blue bird alighted on the larger lion's shoulder, chirping in distress. He lowered his head, gazing down at his fallen friend, not acknowledging the six other little birds that landed on his shoulders.

The Crater Lands echoed with the roars of the two males, which were soon followed by their wails of loss.


	4. Chapter 4: The Companions

Tojo lay in the tall grass of the savannah; the whispering sound of the wind along with cricket song quickly lulled him to sleep, despite the recent horrific events. The great strain of the fight caused him to fall into slumber as soon as his head touched the grass.

Tojo was a large, muscular lion. He had reached full adulthood, but was still not old enough to have attained the size of King Haki. He had been a rogue for a good amount of time, ever since after it was his time to take part in the Moving Ceremony in the Pride Lands, where King Mufasa ruled.

He smiled in his sleep, his dreams moving towards Pride Rock, where Mufasa, proud and tall, stood underneath the blazing yellow sun. His queen Sarabi sat to his right, and his son and heir, Simba, sat to his left. Tojo lay several feet before them with the other cubs of the pride. They, along with several of the lionesses, all lay stretched out, basking in the rays of the hot African sun. A few moments later, all members of the pride who had been sunbathing retired to the cool shelter of the cave.

"Mom, dad, can I go play with Nala and Tojo, please?" The young prince bared his sharp teeth in a wide smile, pressing his front paws against his father's massive foreleg. "You said that after the sunbath, I could go play!"

Sarabi chuckled. "Yes, my son," Mufasa said. "But do not go far. Zazu is still on his patrol, so he sees everything from the skies, and will be able to tell me _just _how far you stray!"

Simba rolled his eyes. "Simba!" the king said sternly, narrowing his eyes at his son.

"Sorry, dad," the prince said, flattening his ears and rising to his feet. "We won't go far, I promise!"

"You're lucky your father is here. If it were up to me," Sarabi said, smiling down at her cub, "I would have waited until Zazu came back, so he could keep his eyes on every last one of you!" Simba groaned, looking up at his father pleadingly. He never wanted Zazu, the strict hornbill and majordomo to the king, to play chaperone. It was just as well. The hornbill took great pride in his royal position and list of duties to the kingdom, but he didn't regard babysitting as one of them.

Mufasa threw back his great, maned head and laughed heartily. "Don't worry, my love," he nuzzled the queen's neck. "All of the pride's cubs are out playing today. There's safety in numbers. Go on and play, Simba."

Simba walked over to his mother and rubbed his shoulder against her foreleg before bounding down from the raised slab of stone that served as the royal throne. A few pebbles scattered in his wake, and one bounced off the head of a sleeping lioness. He cringed, staring wide eyed at her. She only muttered in her sleep and rolled over. With a sigh of relief, the little cub continued on his way toward his playmates.

Tojo was at the entrance of the cave, watching Simba talk to the king. He sighed, thinking about how nice it would be if he had a father. For all he knew, his father could very well be Mufasa, or Mufasa's brother, Scar, or even a wandering rogue. Tojo hoped it was Mufasa.

Simba skidded to a halt when he noticed his friend standing there. "Hey Tojo!" he said, his eyes bright.

"Hi, Simba," Tojo said. "Do you want to play?"

"Yeah!" the prince answered. "C'mon! Lets find the others!" He ran down the small path that lead to a circle of rocks green with moss, where two female cubs were sitting. Tojo followed.

Tojo awoke from his dream. He looked to his right. Ni was still sleeping, but not peacefully. The older lion's brow creased in his slumber, and his companion could hear him mutter, "Mara, Mara." Ni kicked his legs in his sleep, looking as though he was dreaming of running to his mate's rescue. "Oh please, Mara."

Tojo shut his eyes and looked away. Would only heartache befall his friend? He thought about what a loyal friend Ni was. How, even though he had been beaten and driven from his pride too early by his ruthless father, he would always go out of his way to help others. The rogue had saved Tojo's life when hyenas had cornered him only after three days of being on his own. The older rogue had made a comment afterwards about how the pridelanders should hire him full time to save their cubs from hyena attacks. After some talking, Tojo had found out that Ni had saved Nala from the same hyenas many seasons before. They had become fast friends, and traveled the outlands together ever since.

Tojo looked up at a skinny tree. Six figures huddled together on a long branch. One of them stirred and made a little chirp sound, but soon settled back down. The lion wondered how long his bird friends would follow him? He had raised the orphaned birds ever since prince Simba had entrusted him to their care. Would they be with him forever?

Tojo started as Ni resumed his mutterings. "Mara, you can't die. Mara, what about the plan?"


	5. Chapter 5: Heirs

Hello everyone, and please forgive me for taking such a long time to update! I'm sure you'll all be happy to see more canon characters introduced into the story. I really appreciate all of your reviews, and am really trying to use more descriptions and character development, and less excessive name-dropping.

In case I have not mentioned before, the lions and other members of the Crater Land Pride are my characters, and are not to be used without my permission. Haki, Hadar, Amira, Bado, Muziki, Azima, Fahari, and Aheizer are my characters. All others are copyright Disney. Please continue to read and review!

**  
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**Chapter V **

**Heirs**

"But sire, it simply isn't done that way!"

Zazu the hornbill ruffled his feathers and furrowed his brow. King Simba sighed as he walked down one of the stone corridors leading to the outside. The natural pathways cut into the bottom rear of Pride Rock, opening into several small caves. They served as chambers for the king to conduct royal business of the direst sort, but Simba often liked to use the caves for alone time as well. At least when he could get away from Zazu. Rafiki was often found meditating in them. Simba had hoped to find him there that day. _I hope he's alright_, the king thought to himself, _he's been gone for so long. Longer than usual._

Zazu continued to berate the king, as he sat perched on his shoulder.

"With all due respect, your majesty," the hornbill majordomo went on, "Kovu was not raised like you. He had no king as an example to follow. He only had that...that...Scar."

"I will hear no more of this," Simba growled.

"But please, sire! You cannot expect him to be fit to rule an entire kingdom after spending most of his life with the Outlander riff-raff!"

"Enough!" Simba's voice erupted into a roar that echoed throughout the stone chambers. "The 'Outlander riff-raff' you speak of are now part of our Pride."

Zazu cringed and fell silent.

"Zazu," the king softened his voice, "Kovu has proven himself to be an honorable young lion, as well as a loving mate to my daughter. He will follow in my footsteps as king, just as I have done with my father."

"But he is not your son..."

"But Kiara is my daughter, and she loves him! She will be queen one day...and he will be king."

This time it was the hornbill who sighed. "As you wish, your highness."

The lion continued walking. "There goes the neighborhood," Zazu muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Zazu?" Simba raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, erm, I said 'you will do what you should.'"

"Ah, thought so."

Three lionesses lay stretched out on the slate rocks a few yards away from Pride Rock. They were in the best area possible for sun bathing, aside from The Rock itself. Nala, Simba's loving queen, sprawled out on a long piece of slate. She yawned widely. Below her sat her mother, Sarafina, and her aunt, Raimee.

The older lionesses yawned in turn.

"Those things are contagious," Raimee said. She got up and stretched.

"Are you feeling better, Nala?" Sarafina asked.

"A little," Nala said.

"Sunbathing always does the trick for me whenever I'm feeling under the weather," said Raimee, who yawned a second time.

"Yes, auntie," Nala said, "but I don't feel so much sick as strange."

"Strange?" asked Sarafina. "What kind of strange?"

"Well," Nala climbed down from the slate and sat between her relatives, "I've been so hungry lately."

"Hungry?" Sarafina cocked her head.

"I had buffalo just after sunrise, and now I want more buffalo, and zebra, and maybe some gazelle!"

Raimee chuckled.

"What?" The queen narrowed her bright green eyes. "I don't see what's so funny!"

"Nala," Raimee said between giggles, "what happened the last time you felt this way?"

"What do you mean, auntie?"

"Who was the precious bundle of fur that appeared not too long after you last had those types of cravings?"

"Granted," Sarafina said, "she's no longer a bundle of fur, but she'll always be precious to us."

Nala gasped and jumped to her feet. "Kiara! You mean, I'm..."

"With cub!" Nala's mother rubbed her face against her daughter's cheek. "How wonderful!"

Nala began to tremble.

"Are you alright?" Raimee asked. "Sit down, child!"

Nala obeyed her aunt, but still she trembled.

"I...I...," she said, "I'm just so happy! I thought I was getting too old!"

"Too old?" Raimee laughed. "My dear, I didn't stop having cubs until I was, well, as old as your mother."

"Hey!" Sarafina swiped a paw at her.

"Well it's true," Raimee said, ducking the swipe.

"But," Nala said, "I didn't think I would be able to have another, just, well, because Kiara's all grown up now. It's been so long."

Raimee nodded. "I can understand that. Multiple cub birth is a rare thing in our pride. Stange. I'm not sure why. I suppose you and I are just lucky."

"Hmm, well," Sarafina said, rubbing against Nala's face a second time, "it's quality, not quantity. You may be my only cub, but you brought me more joy than a whole litter ever could."

Nala purred.

"I'm sure Simba will be very relieved," Raimee said. "He'll be glad to know this isn't a sickness. He's been searching for Rafiki for many sunsets."

"You certainly don't need Rafiki's herbs now," Sarafina said. "Just lots of rest and meat."

"I can't wait to tell Simba!" Nala said. "I can tell he wishes Kiara was still the little cub who needed his time and protection. Oh, he'd love to go back to that! I just know it!"

"Just think, another Kiara running around causing mischief, as well as constant grief for her father," Raimee said. "Perhaps you'd be better off with a little prince."


End file.
